Author Archives: Pat Erzinger

Jesus is the Face of the Poor

Posted on by

What is life like for the poorest of the poor in Tijuana?

“Laura R, her husband Marcial, and their four children live in a poor and distant colony. Marcial has a leg prosthesis as a result of a serious accident. In this colonia, Marcial makes bricks. Noxious black smoke and flames continually billow from the chimney of this brick “factory.” The kiln serves as Marcial’s main source of income. They do not own the land upon which they live and are at risk to be thrown out of their little shack. Marcial earns little and has no work if the bricks do not sell. This family periodically receives food, clothes, and school supplies from the Casa and are deeply grateful.”

1300 of the Poorest Families will have a Brighter Christmas Because of You

God bless you for your generous donations to help our brothers and sisters in the slums of Tijuana during this Holy Season. As of December 3, we have received:

  • $12,604.30 from our special Christmas letter appeal sent to all who contributed last year
  • $4,993 from the All Hallows special collection on November 28-29. We are grateful to Fr. Jerry O’Donnell who warmly supports the Casa.
  • Our regular monthly donors plus several others sent us $21,768.50.
  • We also received a $1,000 anonymous donation from the San Diego Foundation.

Casa Christmas CardThese donations will help to provide a special bag of groceries for 1300 of the poorest families along with the precious gift of a new blanket!

Sister has purchased the blankets.  The Casa Christmas distribution is on December 22.

Those who receive the Christmas gifts have nothing. They live in the dumps on windy hills, have no running water, and electricity is scarce. Men, women, and children suffer from malnutrition and lung diseases caused by the continual breathing of polluted burning-garbage fumes. Help us to help them!   Continue reading →

“The happiness of the just man — open-handed he gives to the poor, his justice stands firm forever.”

Posted on by
Psalm 112

Special Appeal in Anticipation of Christmas

The Sisters pray that we collect enough money to provide a special CHRISTMAS BAG of food along with a blanket for 1300 of the most helpless families. The Sisters will attend the masses at All Hallows Church on November 28 and 29 to meet with the people.

  • WE NEED INCREASED CASH DONATIONS AND FOOD
  • Socks, Caps, Tarps, and protein-based food are especially needed to help alleviate the cold nights
boy on tracks

Child waiting for parents working in the dumps, recycling for sale, for family support. He is in the middle of railroad Tijuana (Colonia site).

These “poorest of the poor” families live at the dumps of Tijuana, just 40 miles from our warm homes. In the Franciscan Spirit, Sister Armida believes with all her heart that “God will provide.”

This year has seen turmoil around the world. We view the situation of the poor in Tijuana as continuing turmoil. With your support, and the care given by the Sisters at the Casa, many men and women are rehabilitated and able to move into the mainstream of productive society. Continue reading →

13-year-old Daniela says THANK YOU!

Posted on by

kids-in-truckA girl named Daniela, who benefits from our small scholarship aid, is 13 and in the
6th grade.  She needs special aid in school as she cannot go at a normal pace. Her teachers say that her slow pace is probably due to family dysfunction.

Now that the family receives food and help from the Casa, Daniela shows significant improvement!  Daniela wrote a thank you letter for the aid she receives.  She also sent this story:

The Lion and the Porcupine (adapted from Aesop’s “The Lion and the Boar”)

“During the summer, as the hear provokes much more thirst, went to drink to the same river a lion and a porcupine. As they met, they started to quarrel about who should be the first to drink, and from discussion they passed on to fierce fight to death. But in some moment of rest, they saw a cloud of vultures ready to devour the one who would lose the fight. Then, recapitulating they told themselves . . . it is better that we be friends and not food for the vultures and crows. Useless fights are good only to food and entertain the spectators and curious.”

This is a wise lesson for sharing and peace, from a deprived little girl living in the slums and misery of Tijuana. Continue reading →

“I want a Church which is poor and for the poor. They have much to teach us.”

Posted on by

Pope Francis, December 25, 2013

From a Jesuit Seminarian who stayed at the Casa . . .

“I went to teach catechism with Sisters Angeles and Teresa in the Santa Julia Colonia. It is far off and known for its high crime rate. Many houses are built precariously along the hillside, and this colonia has undergone very little development as the years have passed. We visited two hardworking families first. They were very warm and generous to us.”

boy studies“We finally reached the Center, a small building with three classrooms and a large field.  The Sisters told of the problems they have had with theft and vandalism even though the rooms are very simple. It was living in extreme poverty or in very desperate situations which led to all this, I thought.”

“I was asked to share my vocation story with the kids and was not sure how they would receive it, my reality being so very different from the one they were living. Certain things are universal, such as love for God and a calling to make something meaningful out of one’s life no matter social status.  The students listened attentively and asked lots of good questions.  At the end of class, we went outside to play soccer, girls versus boys. Girls beat us 11 to 6!  This was a great experience which I can share with my brothers and sisters in Christ.  I am grateful to God and to the Franciscan Missionary Sisters for the priceless work that they do.” Continue reading →

“Come, Distribute Your Wealth Freely, Give Generously to Those Who are in Need”

Posted on by

graduate-1“Earn for yourself the psalmist’s praise: ‘He gave freely to the poor; his righteousness will endure forever.'”  From St. Basil the Great on Charity

From Ma Del Carmen H.:  “I am grateful to all the persons that help Casa de los Pobres and to Casa de los Pobres because they can help us. Because with the scholarship aid, I can buy school supplies, the uniform and shoes. This helps us very much because this avoids the BULLY. My children have more time to listen and be attentive to the teacher instead of caring to cover their torn shoes and be thinking what are they going to buy at recess time. For all these I am sincerely grateful to all who make this possible, specially to God. I Thank You!”   Continue reading →

“I know that the Lord will avenge the poor, that He will do justice for the needy.”

Posted on by

from St. Francis of Assisi

 A Jesuit Novice writes about his recent visit to a distant Colonia:

“We visited Dona Elma, a diabetic, who comes to the Casa when she can for food and medical help. This trip takes two buses and 45 minutes. She has problems seeing and walking. Her house is in a downhill ravine with a difficult and uneven path. I was saddened when I saw the situation in which she lives. The walls are falling apart, the roof doesn’t cover the entire home, and she needs to use a bucket as a toilet since the outhouse is no longer functional. She receives very little help from the government and finds that going to the Casa de los Pobres is worth the difficulties. When she is able to make the trip, she obtains food and medical attention. I was amazed by her faith and joy. In spite of all this, Dona Elma does not lose her good spirits. She says she always tries to look at the bright side of things.”    

Person blind 11 years, caused by diabetes, invites others with diabetes to follow proper care and treatment so blindness does not happen to them.

Person blind 11 years, caused by diabetes, invites others with diabetes to follow proper care and treatment so blindness does not happen to them.

Continue reading →

A Human Being’s True Glory is to Persevere in the Service of God

Posted on by

St. Irenaeus

A note of gratitude: “I, Filomena, am very grateful to Casa de Los Pobres because I womaninbluehave received help with my hernia surgery and medical care on both of my ankles for the sores caused by diabetes.  I am very grateful for the benefactors and the Sisters. They know my needs, and I am grateful to all the persons and the Clinic at the Casa for the help they have given me for the care of my sores and for my medicines. I thank God for having them all, and I pray to God for them.”  Please know that those who come to the Casa are truly thankful for all of the services they receive because of your generosity. Continue reading →

“Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread”

Posted on by

Sister Gudelia visits Colonia Ferrocarril near Tecate, Mexico where there are no public mother holding boyservices and tells us: “Some parents work at making bricks while others ‘work’ in the dumps of this colony. The family that invited me into their house goes to the dumps daily with the hope to find food, clothes, or other items for their 5 children. The mother said that sometimes she has picked up tortillas and takes them to feed her children. The family was very happy with my visit and felt blessed to receive bread, rice, beans, toys, and blankets. It is moving to see such poverty and deprivation. This colonia is their world because they are so isolated. Thank God we are able to relieve them a little when we visit.”   Continue reading →

“A Human Being’s True Glory is to Persevere in the Service of God.”

Posted on by
(Quote from St. Irenaeus)

Those whom the Casa serves are destitute, not merely poor. These people live in shacksMother + 3 Kids that are often rodent-infested. They experience the torture of empty stomaches, cold nights, crawling vermin, insecurity, gnawing idleness, and premature death.  (Read about visits to the colonias and the conditions there.) The Sisters offer rays of light to many of these men, women, and children.

Rosalinda, 36, came to the Casa in great turmoil. She had run away from her husband because he brutally beat her and used drugs. Her two little boys are 4 and 6. She is desperate for a job to support them, and meanwhile, makes and sells burritos outside her son’s school. She needs help with food, clothing, medical care, and school supplies for which the Casa has been a God-send. She no longer feels abandoned and is “grateful from her heart because the Casa opened its doors to me and my little boys with a shower of great love.” Continue reading →